Cadence Comic Art - No response after purchase? 0

[bigcbass]

I know Cadence is pretty established but I was hoping someone here could help or provide me a phone number.  I bought a cover at the end of December. and still haven't received it  I emailed them the first week in January and they said it had been shipped, and that he would getting me the shipping info later, and he never did.  Since then, I have emailed him twice to follow up without a response.  I don't want to cancel the paypal because I actually want to art.  Don't know what to do next?!?

[Andahaion]

I've flirted with buying a Frison WW cover from him, but his lack of responsiveness is a huge turnoff, plus I've run across posts similar to yours before.  I asked a few questions about the art I was interested in via email and was pretty much brushed aside (which seems not uncommon for OA dealers, or maybe I just catch people on their off days) after a delay in response.  Make sure you're cognizant of any deadlines/rules for initiating a refund from PayPal and I guess go from there given you really want the art.  Hopefully it shows up, or he responds with tracking info.  Unreal that it's been a month.  I'd be very upset.  Good luck.

[vodou]

5 minutes ago, Andahaion said:

I asked a few questions about the art I was interested in via email and was pretty much brushed aside (which seems not uncommon for OA dealers, or maybe I just catch people on their off days) after a delay in response.  Make sure you're cognizant of any deadlines/rules for initiating a refund from PayPal and I guess go from there given you really want the art.  Hopefully it shows up, or he responds with tracking info.  Unreal that it's been a month.  I'd be very upset.  Good luck.

You're going to get into this at times when the dealer doesn't actually have the art in hand but merely on consignment from the artist. Not every dealer (really REP btw) wants to admit and own that aspect, it reveals that they may/do have almost no actual monetary investment in their business and maybe that's not the look they want to give. (I don't think there is anything wrong with that but it should be so stated, being upfront and level setting expectations is always great customer service!) So asking detailed questions about a piece (the size, is it 'clean', etc) will be brushed off or delayed response while they're trying to get the artist to give that info to them...it's kind of funny, but anyway...I think that's the case with Cadence and that's also why the delay in shipping, they probably have to get the art in hand before they can re-label it out to you! None of which is excusable (imo) without prior notice. I mean...just admit th art isn't in hand and that can/will add more days than customers may normally anticipate. Right?

[Andahaion]

21 minutes ago, vodou said:

You're going to get into this at times when the dealer doesn't actually have the art in hand but merely on consignment from the artist. Not every dealer (really REP btw) wants to admit and own that aspect, it reveals that they may/do have almost no actual monetary investment in their business and maybe that's not the look they want to give. (I don't think there is anything wrong with that but it should be so stated, being upfront and level setting expectations is always great customer service!) So asking detailed questions about a piece (the size, is it 'clean', etc) will be brushed off or delayed response while they're trying to get the artist to give that info to them...it's kind of funny, but anyway...I think that's the case with Cadence and that's also why the delay in shipping, they probably have to get the art in hand before they can re-label it out to you! None of which is excusable (imo) without prior notice. I mean...just admit th art isn't in hand and that can/will add more days than customers may normally anticipate. Right?

Couldn't agree more.  No communication looks and feels (especially for the person spending $$$$) terrible.  But I still don't understand how a person who literally deals a particular artist's work...is supposed to champion it and produce sales...cannot speak to it...?  How does that happen?  Has he never actually seen the art in hand?  Is that a thing?  Does the artist know her rep acts like this to potential clients/customers?  Now I'm all worked up...it's almost happy hour time...

[vodou]

4 minutes ago, Andahaion said:

Is that a thing?  Does the artist know her rep acts like this to potential clients/customers?  Now I'm all worked up...it's almost happy hour time...

It is very much a thing. The artists know, after all it's they that never shipped the art out to the rep to begin with. But if you have a complaint, letting the artist know that you're passing on their work because of foolishness or -better yet- offering to buy direct from them for 20% less than the rep is asking, cutting the rep's middle out, can produce some interesting results!

[ESeffinga]

And don’t think the rep in such a situation is totally to blame for these kinds of delays. More often than not it is the artist that drags their feet. Slow to respond to questions. Slow to ship out the art. Etc.

For many artists, it’s why they need a rep in order to sell art in the first place. And why a rep who doesn’t actually have that art in hand can be stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

This happens with commissions frequently as well. For some reps, this is why they get their percentage from artists. They are the firewall, and they take the abuse sometimes.

Its also why so many rep/artist working relationships have broken down over the years. 

I imagine some artists are a dream to rep for, and others could be a nightmare.

 

[Andahaion]

2 hours ago, ESeffinga said:

And don’t think the rep in such a situation is totally to blame for these kinds of delays.

I can certainly understand some things being out of their control, but what's not out of their control is communicating to the client (presumably who just spent a couple thousand dollars) the context of the situation and what is being done to resolve it.  Silence in this situation just seems wrong/unprofessional and breeds skepticism and distrust.  It shouldn't be that difficult, especially since it appears most collectors already have some baseline understanding of how this machine works.  A month without anything sent to the OP is ridiculous.  

[ESeffinga]

I’m not excusing it. Just explaining that the rep May not be the reason it’s not there yet. I agree saying so would assuage some of the anxiety for the buyer (maybe), but then saying “sorry my artists don’t respond to me” may not be the word the rep wants to put out there to the world. 

The whole thing pretty well sucks. But it won’t be the first or last time either.

 

[Pete Marino]

Last time I heard from Paulo, he said they were moving studios.  So I'm sure that's a big part of it.  Before this year, I always found him organized and prompt in responses.

[artcollector9]

I'd cancel the PayPal asap. Then if you still want the art, negotiate from a position of strength (you still have your money) and not weakness (you are out your money and no art in hand). 

[Junkdrawer]

On 1/26/2019 at 10:46 AM, artcollector9 said:

I'd cancel the PayPal asap. Then if you still want the art, negotiate from a position of strength (you still have your money) and not weakness (you are out your money and no art in hand). 

Possibly why they are stalling. 

[NicoV]

Did you guys pay someone to give them a lesson?  Their website crashed! 

 

[NC101]

On 1/25/2019 at 4:12 PM, vodou said:

It is very much a thing. The artists know, after all it's they that never shipped the art out to the rep to begin with. But if you have a complaint, letting the artist know that you're passing on their work because of foolishness or -better yet- offering to buy direct from them for 20% less than the rep is asking, cutting the rep's middle out, can produce some interesting results!

Interesting good or interesting bad?

[Varanis]

3 hours ago, NC101 said:

Interesting good or interesting bad?

I think he meant interesting good, but I'd argue that will often result in interesting bad. In a market of one-of-one collectibles, networking and relationships are critical to finding the pieces you want. Going around a rep seems like a good way to burn bridges with folks who are usually very well connected in the market.